Economic and social development

Economic and social development is generally accepted as meaning first and foremost economic development. It implies an effort on the part of each country, where necessary with outside assistance, to take stock of its natural resources and to develop them to their fullest extent. With the birth of the [new international economic order]

, this responsibility is extended beyond national boundaries.

Economic and social aspects of development are considered to be so closely interwoven that frequently it is not considered useful to make any distinction between them. The ultimate object of development is to bring about sustained improvement in the well-being of the individual and bestow benefits on all.

The concept of development is in some cases considered to be broader, deeper and more varied, going beyond the purely economic aspects of improving man's living condition. Man is considered to be both the means and the end of development, not a one-dimensional abstraction of homo economicus, but a living reality, a human person, in the infinite variety of his needs, his potentialities and his aspirations. Development is meaningful only if man, who is both instrument and beneficiary, is also its justification and its end. It must be integrated and harmonized; in other words, it must permit the full development of the human being on the spiritual, moral and material level, thus ensuring the dignity of man in society through respect of individual human rights. Development is not development unless it is total, and cultural development is considered by some to be a part of total development.